Chapter Twenty-Six
“What are you doing here?” Marisol stopped refilling the candy dispenser on the counter, a confused frown on her face. “I didn’t think I was going to see you until Tuesday.”
“It’s good to see you too, bitch.” Elena hip checked her now giggling bestie into the stack of boxes stored behind the register.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” she defended, trying to steady the now wobbling stack. The moment they were stable, she turned around and crossed her arms. “But seriously, what are you doing here? I figured you’d be finishing off the weekend with the guys. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” she answered with a little wave of her hand. “And believe me, if my guys had their way, I’d still be at their place.”
“Again,” her best friend said with a dumfounded look, “I gotta ask. What are you doing here?”
“I—”
“Go!” Marisol pointed at the door, not letting her finish.
“But—”
“You have three, hot as fuck guys, wanting to sex you up—” Her friend paused dramatically as if to compose herself. “And you come here? To Medina’s?”
“It’s a school night,” Elena told her with a teasing grin. She should have known Marisol was going to have something to say about it. Her best friend was predictable…and a little crazy. “Plus, I haven’t been home since Friday afternoon. The place is a wreck.”
And considering her Friday night date had lasted until Sunday afternoon, a little break was probably a good thing. The four of them needed a breather; not only for the sake of her vagina and jaw but also because she had shit to do.
Something she’d told them straight up when they asked her to sleep over again.
Her love life may be a fantasy, but the rest of her predictable existence was planted firmly in reality. The list of errands she had to squeeze into the rest of her Sunday was not something she could put off any longer. Once she got back to the house, there was even more to get done including a mountain of laundry. She’d be starting her work week in dirty clothes if she didn’t get at least one load done before tomorrow morning.
“A school night?” Marisol echoed with a giggle.
“I have to be at the garage tomorrow morning by seven. So yes, it’s a school night. And the only reason I came by was to grab my work badge.” She pointed to the kitchen, assuming that’s where she’d left it. “After this I have one more stop and then it’s laundry. Lots and lots of fucking laundry.”
“You’re excused then,” Marisol allowed with a smile before giving her a frown. “I didn’t see a badge in the back though and I’m pretty sure I would have. Ricky’s been cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen between customers and it’s practically sparkling. He even found that lip gloss I lost a few months ago. I don’t know how it ended up in the freezer, but it’s thawed out now.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup. The only thing I saw in your pile was that bottle of nail polish you brought in last month.”
“Well, shit.” Elena dropped her head back and let out a tired sigh. The last thing she needed tonight was having to hunt down her missing employee badge. “I’ll double check.”
“Wait!” Marisol interrupted, snagging her arm as she made for the door. She guided Elena to the sole employee stool and blocked her in. The smile she’d been wearing earlier was nowhere to be seen. “While you’re here…”
“’Sol?” Elena eyed her friend nervously. She hadn’t seen Marisol this on edge since the latest season of Bridgerton was about to drop.
“Tell me everything,” Marisol ordered, gesturing for Elena to give it to her. “I want to know it all. Nothings too personal...and that includes length, girth, and stamina.”
“Sol!” Elena laughed, her cheeks burning.
“Don’t ‘‘Sol’ me,” Marisol warned with a shake of her head. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve gotten any?”
Elena winced at the reminder that her best friend had been suffering through a dry spell for almost twice as long as she had. At this point, her spilling the beans would almost qualify as community service.
“I want details. Every wrinkle, every vein, the number of times you c—”
The kitchen door slammed open with a bang, making both the girls jump.
“AGH!”
“Jesus Christ, Ricky!!” Marisol smacked her brother’s shoulder as she cursed him. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”
“I’d say a lot,” Elena said under her breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
“Hey, Lena,” he said with a wince, unable to dodge his sister’s hand. “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”
“I think I left my garage badge here on Friday.” She held her hands up in a prayer. “Please tell me you saw it back there.”
The big guy shook his head. “Sorry, hon.”
“Shitballz,” she huffed, unable to think of where to look next. With her luck, she’d probably dropped it Friday night when she was walking to the garage. She’d been so busy juggling the bags of food for the Iron Seeds it most likely was on the ground somewhere in between Medinas and the garage. The thought made her grimace. It was only a short trek, but she didn’t have time to trace her steps today.
“I’m still moving stuff around so it could turn up. If I see it, I’ll text you.”
“She appreciates it,” Marisol told her brother, pushing him back towards the door. “Now go. We’re having girl talk.”
Elena tried not to laugh at the siblings as they pushed and shoved each other, You’d think they were kids the way they acted.
“Whew,” her bestie said, breathing heavy. She adjusted her wobbly bun. “That’s my cardio for the day.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Elena laughed.
“And you’re stalling,” Marisol pointed out with a sly grin. “Now…tell me all about your amazing weekend before my dumbass brother comes back.”
“Friday night was great,” Elena started, figuring it was best to go back to the beginning. “They had a big barbeque at the compound, and I was introduced to way too many people for me to remember. Although there is one gal that I can see us being friends with. We have a lot in common.”
“Nice,” Marisol said with a nod. “Sounds like you had fun.”
“I did.” She let out a happy sigh as she thought back on it. “The food was great, the people were super nice, and the compound was more than I ever expected. It’s like a subdivision out in the middle of nowhere. They’ve got everything you can think of. It’s awesome.”
“That’s cool and all but let’s get to the good stuff.” Her friend gave her a look. “Sex? You had lots of it, right?”
“Oh yeah.” Elena grinned stupidly. Some of it still felt like a dream.
“Tell me more.”